


Curiosity Killed the Cat

by Sam_3024



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal - Fandom
Genre: Angst, College, Emotional, F/M, FBI, Fluff, Hannibal (TV) - Freeform, Psychological Disorder, Will Graham/ Reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:32:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 17,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6169156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sam_3024/pseuds/Sam_3024
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are a last year student at Baltimore's FBI College. Your life seems uninteresting until you meet professor, Will Graham. You've been warned about those kinds of people all your life, but your curiosity overrides reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Last Semester in Baltimore

**Author's Note:**

> This series is probably going to be more fluff than smut, but we'll see! I haven't fully decided on where I want to go with it. Feel free to take a vote.

The lecture hall seems uneasily quiet, besides the professor that you tuned out. Ever since you were little, you were able to stay in your own mind and block out the noise of the world around you. The professor drones on about different causes of death and how to spot them. You already learned these in your basic training during your first year in the FBI Academy. The academy in Baltimore, where you transferred for your last year, seemed surprisingly behind the last school you attended. At least the last semester will be a breeze. 

Just then, the professor dismisses the class. Everyone had already packed up while you day-dreamed. You quickly shoved notebooks into your bag and followed everyone else out the door. Everyone was headed for the mess hall, but you decided to head to the library. You could only take so much of being around other people before needing to recharge with allotting time for yourself. 

You couldn't help but feel anxious as you parted ways with the group. You didn't look up to check, but you felt as though everyone was staring at you as the entered the separate building. You pretended to dig in your bag for something as you turned the corner of the building to reach the library. 

As if it were meant to happen, bam!, you ran into the only other person walking by himself. He was clutching a brown leather shoulder bag in his arms. He seemed kind of nervous based on how he was trembling and avoiding eye contact with you. "Oh, I'm sorry," you said. "It's fine," he forced a smile and quickly walked off. You watched him walk away with a confused look. He seemed troubled. You glanced down and noticed you had dropped some things during your collision. Taking handfuls of writing utensils and other odds-and-ends, you carelessly placed them back in your bag. You picked up a white plastic card and turned it over. 

This wasn't yours. It was labeled: "FBI Academy Staff 09982456" and a barcode just above the numbers with the college's emblem. This has to be his, but there was no way to be sure. You tucked it in your bag and didn't think anything of it.


	2. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finish up studying in the library and treat yourself to lunch.

The sound of the computer signing off startled you a little in the silent library. The only other person in the library was the librarian, who was a short, older lady that always seemed bothered by everyone except you. You had never spoken to her other than for checking out books, but you assumed she was used to you, considering how much you came to the library yourself and you stayed quiet. Also, she was probably glad that someone besides herself appreciated a room full of books. 

The growl of your stomach broke your train of thought and the silence in your corner of the library. That's right, you thought, you skipped lunch. You had heard the other girls talking about this cute little sandwich shop within walking distance from the college. You decided to treat yourself. You passed the last exam of the year anyways; you deserved it. 

•

The city square seemed foreign to you. You were used to sitting in your apartment and reading crime reports in the news all day. This was a good thing though; your mother always told you that you should try to be more social even if it meant going out by yourself at first. 

You came up on a little café-like shop. The sign above it was emblazoned with "Piper's". Inside the window you could see a counter with the full bread, cheese, and meat spectrum. You'd never seen so much of those in one place. The sudden smack in the shoulder from the door opening brought you back to Earth. You looked over; it was him! The man you had bumped into at the academy.

"Hey!" You immediately felt out of your element. You had never been able to easily talk to people or liked drawing attention to yourself, but you remembered the ID card.

He looked up for a brief second and you saw panic in his eyes, they were a beautiful blue-green. "Sorry," he said shakily and made a beeline for the parking lot. 

"Excuse me," you chased after him. He kept power-walking, assuming you were speaking to someone else. "Excuse me!"

He didn't stop walking, but he turned his head and realized you were speaking to him. "I-I really don't have time right now." 

"I think I have something of yours. I just wanted to return it," you went digging for the plastic rectangle.

He stopped just long enough for you to find it. You handed him the card and he gave another forced smile, "Thank you," he said and walked off. 

You knew it was a desperate attempt at making a friend and probably a bad idea, but it came out anyway: "I'm , by the way." He stopped walking and just stood there for a few seconds. He didn't turn to face you, but offered his name as an unspoken apology for running into you twice, "I'm Will." He swiftly walked away and you let him. 

• 

You ordered a sandwich and claimed a table next to the window. There was a "free wifi" sign outside, so you began to pull out your laptop. You typed in the name of the academy and found a list of staff members. Luckily, they were organized enough to put the staff in alphabetical order. However, you didn't know his last name and there were more Wills and Williams working at the FBI Academy than you thought. 

You typed in each name into Google until, voila, an image of the Will you met today surfaced under the search of "Will Graham". It was an article on the Chesapeake Ripper. Graham was involved in the case as a criminal profiler. You quickly stopped reading and closed the article when you realized it was The National Tattler. You despised that blog. It was nothing more than people's words twisted and dramaticised lies.

You tried to eat your sandwich in peace, but Will Graham was gnawing at your mind. Why did he seem so distant? Why was he in such a hurry? Why was he shaking and avoiding eye contact?


	3. The Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you finish up the last bit of your education, you take it upon yourself to uncover the mystery of Will Graham.

Monday morning: you jumped out of bed, wore something a little nicer than the jeans and blazer combination you wore every day. You even wore your hair a little differently. It's the last week of school and then you will be placed out in the field. 

Th last couple of days have been hard enough to focus with the increasing excitement of graduation, but you still wondered about Will. How come you had never seen him before? You had done some extra research and found the hall and room number where he taught. He was on the opposite end of where all your classes had been. For some reason, you decided to stop there before you headed home.

You peeked in the window first to see if anyone was in the room. Professor Graham was there, but he was talking to another man. This other man's back was to you, but you could see that he was much taller than an average man. He had dark hair and wore a very fine, well-tailored suit. Graham seemed both at ease and on guard by this second man's presence. 

You couldn't help but watch as the taller man spoke to Graham in a calm manner. It made you feel a little better that it wasn't just you that he couldn't look in the eyes. The taller gentleman began to walk towards you at the door. You ducked into a side hallway until he was gone and then you entered Will Graham's lecture hall. 

"Hi, Professor Graham?" You tried to get his attention. The conservation he just had seemed to have left him jaded. 

"I don't have time to talk. I'm sorry. I'm on my way out," he pretended to pack up his bag.

"I wanted to see if maybe you could help-" you stopped yourself. "You know what, I'm not going to lie to you." That statement got his attention. He looked at you for the second time. His blue-green eyes seemed to have dulled, but still as beautiful as before. His brown, curly hair framed his face perfectly and added to his nerdy charm, along with his glasses. He didn't look as put-together as the other professors with the little stubble he let grow. "I have a hard time talking to people and when we bumped into each other the other day, I got the feeling that you understand that. It's in both of our training to detect something like that in others."

He stopped packing his bag, but averted his eyes again. "I can't get involved with students; it would look funny."

"Lucky for you, after this week I will no longer be a student. I know this is weird. I would never ordinarily do something like this, but I need to figure out some things."

"What do you mean?" It almost seemed as if he was beginning to tremble with nervous energy. 

"Please, don't be offended by this, but I know there's something you've been dealing with for a long time. I mean, something psychological; you display many signs that I picked up on.I got the feeling that we already knew each other the other day. You've always been different and felt secluded for it. I know what that feels like and I just wanted to extend the branch to you."

"You have it too," he mumbled. 

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I really have to go," he began packing his bag again and hurried out of the room. "Call me Will," he added as he left.


	4. Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will considers a friendship with you. He makes it up to you after being so cold.

It's the last day of class and you still sit by yourself in the library as if nothing has changed. You're no longer a student. Will enters the library, but you don't say anything to him. You thought it might be better to give him some space, even if your last conversation had left you with more questions. 

The attempts you made of speaking with him must have worked because when he spotted you, he mustered an awkward smile. The librarian handed him a stack of papers. He tucked them in his bag and approached you, sitting at your own table.

"I-uh, I wanted to apologize. I know I've acted strange with you, but I wanted to let you know that it's not your fault. I want a chance to maybe explain myself," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I know this is awkward."

"It's alright. I would love to talk, but I'm meeting someone in a few minutes," you felt a pinch of guilt in your stomach. You wanted to be friends, but you honestly had other obligations this time.

"Oh, I see. Well, uh, maybe we could grab lunch tomorrow? I'm not very good at speaking to people either, so I figured I should probably take this opportunity." He awkwardly smiled and it seemed as if he though to himself: why did I just say that? 

"That sounds wonderful, Mr.Graham," you smiled warmly and threw your bag over your shoulder.

"Please, call me Will," his eyes seemed to dart back and forth across the floor.

"Ok. Will," you said," let's meet at Piper's tomorrow."

•

"Thank you, Jack, for everything."

"No need to thank me. You did all the work and excelled beyond your own expectations. I can honestly say I've never met someone quite as determined as you," he laughed a little, "I'm very proud of you."

"That means a lot. Again, thank you." You hugged Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI Academy in Baltimore and lead field agent. 

He was kind of like an uncle to you growing up, a very close family friend of your parents. He was beside himself with excitement when you declared you wanted to be and FBI agent as a little girl. Jack has always helped you with everything: he taught you basic life lessons, helped with school work, told you what classes to register for in high school that would help you get on the FBI track. He even helped you transfer schools after...the "incident" at the last school.

And now, Jack was handing you your diploma. It wasn't exactly fair, but he already had a badge made up for you even though students wouldn't be finding out if they were placed for being in the field for another month or so. 

"I know your parents would be proud too," he smiled. "Don't let me keep you. I know you must have big plans to celebrate tonight."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Jack," you thanked him again and left his office. 

You thought about treating yourself to dinner, but that would look even funnier than getting lunch by yourself. You wished you could call Will and tell him to meet you for dinner. 

Instead, you went home and cooked yourself something special: Braised Liver. You popped in your favorite movie and allowed yourself one extra hour of skimming over crime reports as a treat.


	5. Lunch: Take 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet Will for lunch at the sandwich shop. He feels an unusual sense of safety with you and opens up about his behavior.

You took the same route to Piper's as the first day you went there. You already saw Will through the window, sitting at a table away from all the others. He was turning out to be more and more like you.

You slid into the seat across from him and he smiled, not awkwardly this time. He seemed calm. "Hi, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Me too. You seem cheerful today," you noted aloud. 

"Yeah, I know. I was having a rough day when we met. I kind of wanted to explain, but we can get to that later. I don't want to start out with the heavy stuff," it was evident he was trying to act normal.

"Uh-oh," you teased, "should I be worried?"

"Oh, no! I'm fine. Well, sort of." He looked nervous all of a sudden. "Shit," he whispered.

"Listen, if I make you uncomfortable just tell me. I'll understand," you were bracing yourself for rejection once again.

"No, it's not you. I didn't want to get into this because we don't really know each other, but it looks like I don't have a choice. You know the day you came into my lecture hall and said that I displayed signs of something and it felt like I knew what you meant already?" He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Yes." You squinted at him.

"You're right. I am dealing with a psychological disorder of sorts. I got the same feeling that you knew what I meant, so I think you might have it too. Maybe not as bad as me, but you definitely have some form of it." He paused for a second and had that same look that said he was ashamed for having said that out loud. "Look, Ibdont know why I'm telling you all of this. I usually shut people out, but I feel like I can trust you."

"Well, what exactly are you dealing with?" You couldn't bare the suspense any longer. You had to know. You wanted to know everything about him.

"I'm still not sure exactly what it is. I've been speaking with a psychiatrist and he's not even sure exactly what it is, but we've resorted to calling it an empathy disorder. I'm an Empath, which means it's very easy for me to feel the emotions of others. That's why it's so easy for me to catch these criminals; I can step into their mind like I'm vicariously living their life." He exhales loudly as if he has unleashed a great weight off of himself. 

"I've never heard of such a thing, but that would make sense of a lot of things in my life. I always thought I had some kind of personality disorder, that's what a therapist of mine told my mother when I was a child. Like you said though, it was never as prominent as you. I could feel your nervous energy from a mile away!" Your joke lightened the mood and you both laughed. "By the way, why were you so nervous that one day?"

"I have my good days and my bad days. Some days I can function normally, like today. Other days, I don't want to be around people more than usual, I shake uncontrollably, and I can just be rude. It's nothing personal, I just get easily overwhelmed emotionally speaking." He sipped his drink he had ordered before you got there.

You just stared at him with a smile on your face, not wanting to look away. You were taking in all his features: angular jaw, straight nose, those blue-green eyes, brow curly hair, and how you didn't think he could become more attractive, but you were instantly proved wrong when he wore his tortoise shell glasses. 

"What?" He noticed you staring, "Is there something on my face?"

You snapped out of it, "Oh no, I just have never met anyone else like me and it's nice not to feel like a freak."

"I know what you mean," he checked his watch. "I really hate to go, but I have a lecture to give in fifteen minutes. I better start walking back now."

"Oh, it's alright. I have paperwork to do now that I'm done with school," you stood and put your coat on.

"That's right! Congratulations."

"Thank you!" You threw your bag over your shoulder as he packed up his. 

"Let me give you my number. Just in case you need help when you're in the field," he scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper that was left out. 

"Thanks, I'm sure that'll come in handy. How did you know I made it into the field already?"

"Um, lucky guess," he blushed.


	6. First Day on the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will gives you some pointers on being a successful FBI agent. He begins to show an interest in you that goes beyond being professional! He finds out about you and Jack already being good friends, but doesn't quite understand...

You were so anxious, more than usual, for your first day of work. You could hardly fall asleep, so you shot Will a text. Although, you didn't expect him to answer considering it being around midnight. Will struck you as the type that went to bed at a precise, reasonable hour.

He broke your assumption though, "Hey. You can speak to the head, Jack Crawford, about maybe shadowing someone first to get a feel for the job. I'll let you know now that it might not be easy, though."

"How come?"

"Jack is a hard man to persuade. Usually he does the persuading."

"Oh, I won't have any trouble with him."

"Just wait until you meet him."

"Jack and I know each other already."

Will doesn't respond to your last text. You consider that he may have fallen asleep already or is busy with grading his classes' thesis papers. You hooked the charger into your phone and set it on the nightstand. Then, you crept into bed for the night.

•

When you woke up you were already thinking about Will. You thought about what he had said last night, so you called Jack. 

"Hello, , ready for the first day?"

"Yeah, but I have a little bit of the first day jitters. I was wondering if there was anyone I could shadow before I'm tasked with my own work, you know, just to get a sense of what the job will be like," you but your nails in anticipation of his answer.

"Well, we do have an agent on a special case right now. We've been trying to keep it low-profile, but I know you well enough that I trust you to handle it," and without you asking as if the universe knew it was meant to be he said, "You could benefit from shadowing our best, Will Graham. He's not technically an agent, but he's a hell of a good criminal profiler."

You tried to act casual about it, but you were beyond excited you could spend more time with Will. "Thank you, Jack. I'll get my things together and head over."

"No problem. Good luck! Will is in the Addam's building. Lecture hall #4."

You already knew that, but didn't see the point in mentioning that. "Alright, I'll be ready shortly. See ya, Jack."

You hung up the phone and practically ran to your closet. You tried to dress nicer again, but still have a decent range of motion to work in the field. You kept in mind what a a guy might like to see you in. Suddenly you stopped, what were you thinking? You hadn't even thought about what you were feeling towards Will. He wasn't bad to look at, but you couldn't be with a colleague. Could you?

Right as you were walking out the door, you got a text from Will. "Come by the lecture hall." You detected a sense of demand from him. You hoped he wasn't having another bad day. 

•

The door to Will's lecture hall was propped open, ready for students to filter in in an hour. He always seemed to be fiddling with his bag; today he was pulling the stack of papers out that the librarian had handed to him. He looked so good while he was engrossed in work, wait, stop thinking like that. You were in denial about your feelings towards Will; he wouldn't want you anyways, right? 

He didn't even look up to greet you, "Jack stopped by and said you're assigned to shadow me on the Chesapeake Ripper case."

"That's-that's amazing! I haven't heard much on the case because of how confidential it's been, but I know it's a big case," a smile spread across your face from ear to ear.

Will had other things on his mind, "So, you and Jack know each other?"

"Oh, yeah!" You said casually.

"Pretty well?" Will interrogated.

"You could say that. I've only know him for years," you laughed. 

Will began moving papers around with an annoyed body language. "Were you two serious?"

"What?" The smile began to fade.

"I asked if you two were serious," he looked up to meet your eyes. He seemed to only do that when he really wanted to know something. 

"I don't think I understand. Serious about what?" You inquired back.

"About each other. How long were you two together?" He asked with an attitude.

"What?! Will, Jack and I never dated. He's old enough to be my father." You laughed, but you were beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Lots of girls date older guys, especially when there is a poor or absent father figure. I can tell by your level of independence and the way you carry yourself that your father wasn't around." He didn't bother to stop what he was doing or look at you.

"Excuse me?" Tears began to form in your eyes, "Jack was very good friends with my parents. He was like an uncle to me." You turned an stormed out of the lecture hall. 

It's been about fifteen years since the accident, but you still haven't dealt with it. You try to bury it in the back of your mind and hide it from everyone, even yourself. You didn't know where else to go other than the girls' bathroom. You sat in a stall and tried to collect your thoughts.

Why does it seem like every person you let in your life ends up hurting you? You thought Will was an awkward, but likeable man. He had crossed a line that you hid from everyone. It was a wind that he tore open again. 

A few minutes later your phone vibrated in your bag. You pulled it out and saw that it was your aunt. You had hoped it was Will. You dabbed at your eyes with a wad of toilet paper and answered your phone.

"Hi."

"Hello, honey. I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine. Now isn't a great time, ok? I'll call you later."

"Are you sure you're alright?" She sounded extremely concerned.

"Yeah, I just have a lot of work to do right now."

"Oh, alright, honey. I'll talk to you later."

You hung up the phone and began to cry.


	7. Can't Keep Away for Too Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two weeks of not speaking, you and Will reconcile.

You reported to Jack's office first thing in the morning, just as you had for the past two weeks. You couldn't bare to look at Will still; you had started to like him in more ways than one and he hurt you, like everyone else. 

"Alright, , I need you to tell me what's going on. I'm in desperate need of your help on the Chesapeake Ripper case. You were supposed to shadow Will Graham two week ago!" Jack sat at the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. 

You sat opposite him in an arm chair, writing notes on past cases, "I can't do it, Jack. I'm perfectly fine here."

"Let me rephrase it: you're going to tell me the truth because I know you're lying and you want to work on that case. I can see it in your eyes, you feel like you're wasting your talents here copying notes. What happened?" Jack could always see right through you. You felt like you were six years old again and Jack was giving you that lecture on why it's not nice to take other people's toys. 

"Graham and I had-uh," you sighed," a little bit of a falling out. That's all." You scratched your head.

"March yourself down to his office. Now. I'm going to call him and let him know you're coming. You two will settle it. I can't have this petty high school silent treatment in my academy." Jack already had the phone in hand.

"But he said th-"

"I don't care what he said or what it was about," you hated when he took on the role of a parent. It made you feel so small," I just care about you two fixing it. This is rediculous. You're both FBI employees and you fight the first day?! Unbelievable!" He dialed Will's number and you grabbed your things and left his office.

On the way to Will's you thought about all the little things wrong with him. Why did he care so much about how you knew Jack? Why would he profile you if you're a colleague? Why didn't he ever reach out to fix it in the past two weeks? Something was off here.

You pushed your way into the lecture hall. He was sitting in a chair behind the desk, head tilted back and eyes closed. Damn, he still looked good. He didn't move to acknowledge your arrival.

"So..." you started as you took a seat across from him in the front row.

"I-I'm," he took a deep breath in, "s-s-sorry." He kept his eyes closed, but his brow wrinkled at the foreign words escaping his mouth.

"You profiled me. I thought we were working together," you accused. 

He met your eyes, "I profile everyone around me. I can't turn it off and that is why I don't let people near me. I tend to screw it up and push them away anyways."

"Why did you never try to call me? You just let me leave and that was that. You left it for Jack to find out and be the catalyst that fixes it," was this unprofessional? You didn't really care anymore.

"I don't know how," he sighed. "No one ever tried to fix things with me in the past, so I decided not to bother with others. I'm perfectly content being alone,"

"We both know that's a lie. I want to tell you that that's a horrible way to live, but that's how I am too. I get it," you assure him. A silence spills over the room until, "Why did you think Jack and I used to be together?"

"You made it sound like you knew him for a long time and intimately," he laced his fingers together over his stomach as he reclined in the chair.

"That's because I do. Like I said, he was a very close family friend when I was growing up. And you were right, my father wasn't around, so Jack filled that role," you got choked up. Another awkward silence washed over you two, but it was made even more awkward by the way Will was staring at you. "I-I have another question, but I'm not sure I want the answer."

He took a deep breath in in preparation, "Well, life's full of those."

"Why did it make you so upset that I knew him?" You braced yourself for the cold, hard impact of the shards of his answer.

He averted his eyes, "It was part of my New Year's Resolution to start being honest with people. So, here goes: I like you. It's been a long, long time since that's happened, but I will drive myself crazy if I stay in denial about my feelings."

A warm wave of your muscles relaxing came over you. This-this couldn't be happening. "What do you mean?"

"I have feelings that go beyond professionalism," he looked at you dead in the eyes. You could feel them penetrate.

"I do too," you slowly covered your hand with your mouth as if you could take back your admission. Will say up and you two just stared at one another. Neither of you had ever gotten this far with anyone in a long time, what are you supposed to do now?

You both sat quietly for a while, taking in the feeling of finally being accepted by someone else. For so long, the two of you had to keep your guard up and be careful of who you let near. You didn't have to do that anymore. 

"Listen," Will finally spoke up," I want to do this. I really, really want to do this. I haven't had feelings for anyone in probably over a decade and I can't let you slip through my fingers, but Jack won't like this. We'll have to be quiet about us around him. "

"Don't worry about him. We'll get through this case and then we'll tell him, ok?" You smiled, assuring Will that this will work.


	8. The Chesapeake Ripper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally get to shadow Will and work on an actual case.

After Will's lecture the two of you headed to a crime scene. Jack had called the two of you to get down there immediately. You parked neatly next to Will's car and adjusted your flak jacket as you walked to the scene.

Will handed you a pair of gloves. "No one actually wears those jackets," he teases.

"Why not? It's a safety precaution," you informed. You had always been a stickler for the rules.

"The crime scenes are never that dangerous. The worst threats are bugs gnawing at the corpse or bodily fluids," Will pushes his glasses further up his nose.

Normally, a girl would be disgusted by what he had just said. Somehow, he made the words seem sexy. You looked around as if you could find your sanity as you and Will approached the circle of law enforcement and EMTs. Jack noticed you and Will approaching and made a path for the two of you to enter the circle. 

A man, impaled on a pile of antlers. Will left your side like a child would leave their mother's in a candy store. While he inspected the body, you looked around at the crowd. Maybe you'd find someone suspicious. It wasn't uncommon for the suspect to show up at this time. No one caught your eye.

However, you spotted a familiar man. The same tall man that was speaking with Will in the lecture hall that one day. You'd never met him, but you didn't like him for the way he seemed to make Will feel. You looked to Will to make sure he was ok; he seemed to have lost himself in he crime scene. He just stood there, staring into space. 

You looked back to the tall man. He was starring straight at Will and approaching him. You fought the urge to run over and defense Will, but you backed off when you saw Jack stopping to talk to the man. Jack called you over.

It felt like you were walking in slow motion into your demise. The man was staring right at you with what looked like a faint smirk. His eyes felt like they went right through you, reading all your secrets just by the way you walked. You felt sick.

"Glad you and Will could make it without making a scene," Jack jeered, ", this is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Dr.Lecter, this is Agent ." He turned to the man he just introduced, "She's our newest edition and just recently graduated from the academy. She's shadowing Will for a few weeks."

"I see you've made it into the field rather quickly. Not many academy graduates can say that," he smiled eerily. His eyes seemed like black holes that already have foreseen your answer.

"Yeah, luckily Jack and I go way back. He grandfathered me in," you nervously replied.

"Ah, I see," he answered and stared at you in silence. You didn't know what to say.

"I'll leave you two to catch up. There's a lot she ought to know about Will," Jack rolled his eyes and walked off. You wanted to grab Jack's arm like a child and beg him not to leave you alone with this man.

You decided it'd be better to start the conversation now than to allow any more silence, "What does he mean?" 

"I'm surprised Jack didn't mention me sooner. I'm Will's psychiatrist," he sounded like he was a proud father talking about his son.

"Will briefly mentioned that he sees a psychiatrist. He told me about the empathy disorder," you said shakily.

"Did he now?" He seemed almost annoyed and smiled eerily, "Did he tell you about the black outs, the seizures?"


	9. Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dr. Lecter fills you in on what Will didn't tell you. You confront Will about it.

"No, Will didn't mention that," you said feeling your stomach tie up in knots.

"How about the hallucinations?" Dr.Lecter watched your reaction.

"No," you choked. You began to have second thoughts about working with him; Will needed help. You couldn't just leave him though, you cared about him.

"Oh, well," he sighed, "somethings to think about." You watched him leave the arena of people.

You looked back to Will. He was still lost in his mind. You wondered if you should beak him out or leave him be. You walked over and stood beside him. He came out of it after a few minutes.

"Will?" You called for his attention sheepishly.

"Mmhmm?" 

"I need to speak with you, privately," you felt bile burning your throat at the realization that you barely knew Will.

"Is everything alright?" He put a hand on your back and ushered you to his car. He two of you piled in and shut the doors.

"Sort of. I-I just met your psychiatrist."

"Oh. Yeah, he's quite the character," Will laughed nervously.

"Will, there's a lot you're not telling me, isn't there?" You played with your nails, Will notes this as nervousness.

"What do you mean? What did he tell you?" Will bolted upright.

"You have hallucinations and seizures. He also mentioned blackouts," you were scared for his reaction of what Dr.Lecter had relayed to you. 

He sighed and sat back,"I didn't want to tell you because I know it'd freak you out." He grabbed your hand and squeezed, "I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I'm terrified to lose you. You're the only one who's stuck around this long."

You both smiled at one another. "If we're going to be working together, I'm going to need you to tell me everything. I need to know these things so that I can help you. Let's make a deal to tell each other everything right now, get it all out in the open. No secrets. Ok?" You hoped that this was a good idea.

"Ok," he agreed. He took a big inhale, "For about eight months now, I've been hallucinating this Elk. It just sort of walks around the room. I'll sometimes lose myself and go catatonic for a few minutes and sometimes I have seizures. It started after this event that was traumatic for me, but Dr.Lecter says that it helped me. I don't believe him for a minute," he chokes back tears and takes on an angry tone, "It ruined me."

You stared at him, waiting for him to tell you what it was. He must have read this.

"I'll tell you another time. I don't want to get into it while we're on duty." His nose twitched nervously.

"My mother and father died in an accident about fifteen years ago. I was only seventeen," you pauses before finally telling someone, "I caused it."


	10. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Will help each other heal past wounds.

"No," Will assures you. 

Tears start to form in your eyes, "I did. I caused my parents' deaths." You sobbed at the first admission of this since it happened.

Will pulls you in to an embrace, "Do you mind telling me?" He softly whispers into your ear.

 

You took a deep breath in, "I was out with my friends one night. My parents took this as an opportunity to have a date night." You prepared yourself to relive it. "My friends and I had gone to a party and we all were drinking. I asked to get a taxi, but they pressured me into driving home. Little did I know that my parents were getting home from their movie about the same time."

You paused before the exact moment, as if you could stop it from happening. Will stayed silent; he didn't urge you to go on. You glanced at him just to see something good during a not-so-good memory. Tears were rolling down his face. His empathy disorder is worse than you thought.

"There was a curve that hid the other part of the road. I went around it too fast and drifted into the other lane," you looked down at your hands, "Their car was crushed underneath ours."

Will grabbed you again and held you even tighter. You grabbed him back and began to sob. "It wasn't your fault," he sobbed, "it wasn't. I promise you it wasn't."

After you could catch your breath you mustered, "Then whose was it?"

"It wasn't anyone's fault," he whispered. "It was a terrible accident."

You looked him in the eyes, "Thank you, Will. I have been needing to hear that my entire life." You wiped a tear from your eye. He dabbed at his too. 

"Well shit, now I feel like I have to share my traumatic event," he said for comic relief. You both laughed, but still had sad faces and felt utterly depressed my life's cruel situations.

"I think it'd be better if you did. Just saying it out loud can heal."

"I killed someone," he interjected.

You looked at him, stoically. "On purpose?"

He nodded. You could see tears welling up in his eyes. God damn it, this has been one hell of an emotional roller coaster.

"Will, you can't just leave it there. What happened?"

"Dr.Lecter, Jack, and I were called into a a scene that was 'active', which means-"

You finished his sentence, "-there was still something going on."

"Right. As we pulled up to the scene, I watched a husband slit his wife's throat on the front porch. He just dropped her and let her bleed out. I can't remember who game it to me, but a gun ended up in my hands. I barged into the house and found him in the kitchen. He-he was holding a knife to his d-daughter's throat." He paused. "He began to slit her throat and I shot him. Multiple times."

"You had to kill for defense," you tried to reassure him.

"What I'm about to tell you I haven't told anyone. Not even Dr.Lecter."

"What is it?" 

"As I was trying to help his daughter, he whispered 'see?' to me as he was dying."

"I don't understand," your eyebrows creased.

"I liked it," he practically choked the words.

Your heart sank in your chest as it broke. How could you like anyone that enjoyed killing another human being? You felt so terribly guilty about what you had done, how could anyone like taking away precious life. You inched away from him.

"I've talked about that with Dr.Lecter. That's what he said had helped me, but I do feel a little guilty about it. I don't know how I feel about it anymore honestly."

"What made you think you liked it?" You know you should open the door and run away, but something about him made you stay. Somehow you knew he would never hurt you in a million years. 

"I felt strong," he began to get angry. "My entire life is dictated by other's emotions and it felt good to feel something for myself."

"Will," you grabbed his face so that you both were looking into each other's eyes, "you don't like killing. You just want control."

"I've been seeing a psychiatrist for almost a year now and he hasn't made it that clear to me. He tried to convince me that I enjoyed it!" He was livid. "What good is a psychiatrist if he tells his patients what they're feeling?! I can't fuc-"

You kissed him. You never would have imagined how soft the tissue of his lips were. Everything felt like it was going to be ok as long as you and Will were near each other. You were able to bring both him and yourself back down to Earth. He just stared at you.

"I just told you I killed someone and may have enjoyed it and you kissed me," he squinted at you. "You're not like normal girls."

"Damn right," you got out of the car and left Will scrambling with his thoughts.


	11. Double Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Will can't sleep, so you meet up.

You and Will walked side by side down a city sidewalk. There were many other people walking by you two, which made you feel less crazy and noticeable. Your stomach tensed as your hand grazed Will's. You thought about apologizing, but you just sipped your coffee nervously. Will grabbed your hand quickly and tightly and interlaced his fingers with yours. He looked over and smiled at you. The pop of gun. A red circle appears on Will's forehead. He begins to fall as it starts dripping. 

You jump awake. You're covered in sweat and breathing heavily. You had the nagging feeling that something was wrong, so you texted Will.

"Hey. Are you still up?" You hit the send button quickly.

"Yeah. I couldn't get to sleep. I can't get my mind off this case. Anyway, what are you still doing up?" He replies almost immediately.

"I just had a bad dream. It woke me up just now."

"I presume it was about me or else you wouldn't have texted me. Am I right?" He read you like an open book even through texts.

"Yeah, it was. I just wanted to check on you. Don't worry about it."

"Please, let me worry about something other than this Chesapeake Ripper Case. How about you come over?"

"Will, it's 2:17 in the morning. We have work today."

"Let's take the day off. Come over. I need to clear my mind."

You couldn't exactly say no to him, but you were terrified of what this meant. Did he just want to talk? Did he want something more? You changed into something that said 'I'm trying to look nice for you, but not nice enough to give you other ideas'. You weren't sure you wanted things to go that fast with Will. Although, you were used to that. 

•

You pull up to Will's cute little country house. The barks of numerous dogs emit from the house. You see Will peek out the window to see what had caught his dog's attention. He opens the door and watches you walk up the walkway.

"Thanks for coming," he says just above a whisper. He exudes more confidence than usual and sports a seductive side smirk.

"You didn't give me much of a choice," you said uncomfortably.

Will moves in closer to you, not breaking eye contact. He moves a piece of hair behind your ear and slowly kisses you on the cheek. He was slow and gentle, unlike most guys you've been with. "Come inside." He takes a hand of yours and guides you inside.

You could feel yourself becoming more tense the more he showed affection to you. You liked it, but you were begging anything and everything that he wouldn't move to fast with this. You hadn't liked anyone like this in a while and you wanted to savor the early stages. You had to tell him.

"Will, I don't want to do this tonight," you nervously spouted out.

"Do what?" He handed you a cup of tea.

"I don't want to go too fast with our relationship," you grabbed the cup with both hands so you didn't look awkward. 

"Oh, I see. You're talking about sex," he calmly sipped his own cup of tea.

You blushed at his forwardness. "Yeah," you said quietly.

"What made you think that I was trying to have sex with you just now?" 

"You just seemed to be hinting at it," you blushed again in embarrassment.

"How? Because I asked you to come over? Because I kissed you?" He laughed quietly to himself. "I was treating you respectfully. I don't want to rush things either, so you don't have to worry about it. I'm not exactly ready for sex myself."

"You're afraid you'll lose yourself if you do?" 

He looked at you."Yes. I don't feel," he paused, "stable enough for that yet."

You touched his arm, "I respect that. Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry I misinterpreted your kindness."

"Something tells me you have never been treated this way."

"You wouldn't be wrong," you sat back and slumped over, making yourself seem smaller.

"Tell me."

"There's not much to tell. I've just never been with a man that focused on me. Usually it's just 'let's go on enough dates were I can initiate sex and she'll feel obligated to carry through'. Needless to say, I have never had a very long or caring relationship." You wished you could unsay what you just put out there.

"Well, get used to this because I'm not going any where any time soon," he left the table with his phone in hand. 

You heard him talking to someone. From the bits and pieces you heard, you could tell he was speaking with Jack. As soon as he ended the call, Jack texted you.

"Are you safe? Are you with Will?"

"Yes, to both."

"Be careful. I don't know how I feel about you two getting too close and being alone together."

"Then why did you put me with him for the case?"

"Don't get smart with me. I put you two together to work during office hours and with other coworkers around. I know there's something more between you two; I can feel it."

You didn't bother replying to that. He was playing the role of your father right now and you didn't want to deal with it. You just wanted to be here, with Will, and how amazing he is. There was nothing for Jack to worry about anyways. Will would never do anything to hurt you.


	12. Jack's Way or the Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending the day off with Will, you go back to work the next day. Jack calls you to his office for a much needed talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a story-oriented chapter. No appearances of Will. Sorry!

You sit at Will's desk in the lecture hall, looking at pictures from the crime scene. They look identical to the Chesapeake Ripper case from two years ago. You had suggested to Will that maybe a copycat was caught and that the real Ripper was still out there. He told you that wasn't possible and that this had to be a copycat, but his face said otherwise. So, you left it alone.

Just as you were putting the photos back in their correct file, you felt your phone vibrate in your coat pocket. It was a text from Jack: "My office. Now." You knew better than to question him, so you gathered your things and took off to Jack's office.

•

You knocked on the door and Jack immediately flung the door open. He gestured you in as he shut the door behind you. He did not look happy. He closed the blinds on the glass side of his office.

"We need to talk about your relationship with Will." He sat behind his desk. He was acting as Agent Crawford right now, not as the man who practically raised you.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You two are glued at the hip while working and from past experiences, I know Will hardly gets along with anyone. Yesterday morning, he called me at five to say that the both of you would be taking the day off. I'm assuming that meant together. Tell me, , is there something going on between the two of you?" 

"We were going to wait until the case was over," you mumbled.

"What?"

You rolled your eyes, "Yes, Jack. Will and I are together."

"That's what I thought," he paused and pursed his lips. A knock came at the door. Jack answered it and ushered Dr. Lecter in.

"Hello, . It's very nice to see you again," Dr. Lecter greeted you as he took a seat in front of Jack's desk, beside you.

"Hello, Dr.Lecter," you grew uncomfortable.

"I asked Dr. Lecter to sit in on this conversation. He is Will's psychiatrist." Jack sported a devious smile. You weren't sure what would come next.

"I know. Will told me," you countered.

"Did he also tell you about his vast record of mental instability?" Jack added.

"He mentioned something like that," you searched Jack for some hint of what he was trying to do. 

"Dr. Lecter, please enlighten miss as to the details Will might have forgotten to tell her," Jack clasped his hands and say back, like he was watching a good movie.

Dr. Lecter turned to face you. Your heart began to race. Will had promised to tell you everything. What more could there be? You hoped it was just some small detail that Will didn't think was necessary to share. 

"About a year ago, Will served some time in the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. He contracted Encephalitis which contributed to his erratic behaviors that admitted him there. At the time, it was thought that Will was the Chesapeake Ripper. He was cleared of that when the killings continued after his admission. I was tasked with creating his profile. I found that he did not fit that profile and he was released," Dr. Lecter paused. You fought back tears and it seemed as though he was trying to draw them out of you. You wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Why don't you also tell her about Will's luck with women, Dr.Lecter," Jack was smiling even wider as he watched you.

"Before being admitted to the Hospital, Will was expecting a child with a woman named Margot Verger. Her brother had her uterus removed and she died during the surgery due to complications. A few years after the Hospital, he began to see Molly Foster and eventually they married. Will was brought in on a case not too long ago. The perpetrator broke into their home and killed Molly and Will's stepson, Willy. Upon hearing this news, Will displayed no emotion rather than becoming distraught. This led to his second stay in the Baltimore Hospital." Dr. Lecter stared deep into your eyes.

You weren't about to let them see one tear, "What is the reason for all of this, Jack?"

"To keep you safe. After the things he's pulled, I was hesitant to even let him work here again. I didn't honk he could handle it and I still don't think he can. I'm not about to let him take you down with him," Jack said sternly. Dr. Lecter watched you and Jack as a bird would watch its prey.

"Oh, I see. So this is some personal vendetta you have against him. This isn't about me so don't make it about me. I'm fine," you grabbed your bag and left Jack's office. You were absolutely insulted at Jack's display of condescension about the man you were with. You were slightly terrified of Will now, just as they had planned, but you wanted to help him. He needed someone to help him through these things and everyone had just voted to lock him up. 

"!"

You looked back down the hallway to see Dr. Lecter.

"Here to tell me something else in hopes it will deter me from Will?" You asked.

"No, not at all. I wanted to ask you if you would like to get coffee. I think it's best if we continued out talk about Will without Jack's ulterior motives." He smiled warmly. 

You thought about it for a moment, "Alright, fine."

"Good! I'm glad to have company," he said as you followed him out of the building.


	13. Doctor Hannibal Lecter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have coffee with Dr. Lecter as he clears the air about Will after the conversation with Jack.

"Mmm," Dr. Lecter takes another sip of coffee, "I don't drink coffee too often."

"Why not," you ask, taking a sip of your own coffee.

"I don't drink anything with caffeine in it. It jumbles the nerves. Every now and again, I like to treat myself to it though." He smiles.

"Why don't you just take it decaf?" You ask.

"What's the fun in that?" You both laugh.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" You asked nervously.

"Jack made Will look like an insane criminal that needs to be off the streets. I wanted to make sure that you know that's not the real Will," he sounded so warm and understanding.

"I know it isn't. I've spent enough time with him to know that. He's just a frightened animal that will lash out if cornered."

"That's an interesting perspective," you notice him searching you for something. An emotional weakness perhaps?

"As I was leaving, I thought to myself, 'You should be scared. You should never want to see him again.' A small part of me does feel that way, but I feel like he just needs the tools to process these insane scenarios he's thrown into," you suggest.

"That's why I was hired to work with him. His empathy disorder makes it too hard to work on these cases. Jack says he knows Will can't handle it, but he throws one case after the other at Will. That's what causes him to break. He can't feel the emotions of one killer and then feel the emotions of another so soon after. I've suggested to Jack that Will should be granted a month off between cases to recover mentally and emotionally," Dr. Lecter suddenly gives off a sense of security. You wonder how much you could confide in him.

"I think that would be good for Will," a pause looms over the two of you. "Was Will really married before?"

"Yes, but if you ask me he only did it to live a normal life," he says nonchalantly.

"You don't think he loved her?" You were worried for his answer.

"I think he loved the normalcy she provided that he never had," he looks you over. "To put you at ease, I don't think that's the case with you. There's something more to it with you."

"What do you mean?" You were glad to hear this, but you weren't sure what to make of it. 

"He hardly ever talked about Molly during our sessions. I would ask about her and he would act as though he forgot she was a part of his life. When he did talk about her, it was always followed by a statement about how nice it was to have someone to do normal things with. Just before she died, I asked him if he loved her. He simply walked out of the room. However, he talks about you frequently, but never by name. I only just found out who he was talking about after Jack called me in for that talk," he had a sly look in his eyes.

"Why wouldn't he at least mention my first name? Should I be worried?"

"He's trying to keep you safe," Dr. Lecter replied ominously.

"From what?" You shivered.

"Only time will tell. It's a good thing though. It shows he truly feels something strong for you," he almost seemed annoyed at that.

"Isn't that cause for concern, though? Maybe he'll get possessive of me?"

Dr. Lecter laughed, "No, you'll be fine. Will is the kind of person that has had enough taken from him to know better than to latch on to something. Jack over exaggerated Will's state. Yes, he is fragile and unstable, but he's also a lot stronger than anyone gives him credit for. He still has episodes, but he's otherwise mentally unscathed whereas others would have gone completely unhinged."

You didn't know what to say. Dr. Lecter had said so much, but you were at a loss for words. You were worried about the women in Will's past, but you wanted to fight for him. You wanted to see it through. You were scared, but what Dr. Lecter said resonated with you: you felt that Will cared for you deeply. 

Dr. Lecter checked his watch," I have a patient in about thirty minutes and it'll take me at least fifteen to get back to my office."

"That's alright. I have work I need to finish back at the office. Plus, I do want to check on Will. His little quirks make sense now that I know the whole story," you gathered up your bag and coffee and walked with Dr. Lecter to the parking lot.

He smirked, "Not even I know Will's full story. I don't think anyone ever will."

You thought this yourself, but you didn't want to say it. "Thank you for the coffee, by the way."

"It was my pleasure. Maybe we can do it again sometime on a more positive note."

"That would be nice," you unlock your car as he gets in his. "Dr. Lecter?" You add.

"Yes?"

"Where are your from? I can't place your accent."

His face goes emotionless as he puts on his sunglasses, "Lithuania." He shuts the car door and the engine roars to life. You watch him leave the lot and you notice just how expensive his car had to be. 

You shrugged it off and got in your car that was probably less than a quarter of the price of Dr. Lecter's.


	14. Fruition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing what else Jack and Dr. Lecter had to say about Will, you once again confront him about his concealment of the truth.

You sat across from Will in the office Jack had given you two to work on the everlasting Chesapeake Ripper case. He was typing on his laptop and you were scribbling notes into a notebook. What Jack and Dr. Lecter had said was gnawing at your mind. You looked at Will and thought, "How could someone so handsome be so broken and troubled?" You wish you could take away everything bad that had happened to him, but wondered if he would still be the same man you're beginning to fall for.

"Will?" You try to get his attention.

He types a few more things, meets your eyes and smiles, "Yes?"

"I want to talk about your past relationships," you grew uneasy.

He became pale, "Is there a particular reason?"

"I may have heard through a little bird that you may not have luck with women," deep down you did not want to hear about anyone else being with your sweet Will, even if it was the past. 

"By that, I assume you mean Jack or Dr. Lecter," he sighed.

"Maybe both?" You clenched your teeth because you knew that wouldn't make him happy.

"What did they tell you?" He tried to sound innocent.

"I heard about a Margot and a Molly, but I want to know about them all," you were just asking to be hurt by all the women he loved before you.

"Well, where do I begin? Those were my only two relationships, if you can call them that. Margot was the daughter of a wealthy pig farmer and businessman. Her brother was the sole heir to his fortune, unless Margot had a son," Will's face hardened.

You tried to help finish the story. "She got pregnant, and her brother basically had her killed?"

Will donned a look of confusion, "What? No. We were never," he paused and shut his eyes, "intimate. She kept throwing herself at me and I told her I wasn't ready for that. We were only together for about a month. Her brother thought she was pregnant when he saw that she was suddenly spending time with a man and did perform a surgery on her without her consent, but she's alive."

"I was told both Margot and Molly died," you grew angrier and angrier at Jack and Dr. Lecter. Who was telling the truth and who was lying? You didn't know who to trust anymore.

"Molly did die, but let me finish the story with Margot," Will urged. He could tell you were angry.

"Please do," you demanded. 

"She's homosexual, (your name). She never loved me, tried to use me to get pregnant, and left. She's happily married to Dr. Alana Bloom. Alana just gave birth to a son and the two of them went into the Witness Protection Program to keep themselves safe from Margot's brother, Mason. That's where the story ends."

"So what about Molly?" You narrowed your gaze at Will out of suspicion and distrust.

"After we thought the Chesapeake Ripper case was over, I felt obligated to be with someone and settle down. Maybe even start a family. I just wanted out of the hell my life had been and I wanted to love and be loved. I suppose I did love her in the early stages, but don't be alarmed by that. She became someone completely different after we tied the knot," he lowered his eyes to the floor.

"What do you mean?" You became more interested.

"Well, I found out she had a son. His name was Willy. The father, who was much taller and more intimidating than me I might add, just dropped him on our doorstep. I tried to be a good father figure to him, but I didn't really know how. I never thought I would have a kid. Molly seemed unhappy that part of her past had caught up with her. She started drinking and became verbally abusive to Willy, and then to me when I tried to stand up for him," Will began to fidget. The end to this story had him nervous. 

"Where do you fit in with her unhappiness? She had to have loved you and then something had to happen to send her into a downward spiral with you and her son," Will could sense your intrigue.

"Sex makes me uncomfortable. I told her I was waiting for marriage, probably the reason she married me, and when the wedding day came and she didn't get anything she became extremely angry with me. I think that's what started it," Will pondered.

"Did you ever give in?" You smiled.

"No, I couldn't," Will seemed ashamed.

"It's ok. I never did either," you smiled at Will and he smiled back. You two became more and more alike. "So, how did she die?"

"Like I said, we thought the Chesapeake Ripper case was over. We had failed to catch the actual culprit and continued to arrest copycat after copycat. The Chesapeake Ripper knew I was getting close, found where I lived, and killed Molly and Willy as they slept. I was at the office, working. Molly was alive just long enough to dial 911 before she bled to death. The cops arrived and found them. Jack came into the office and told me everything. I don't remember much after that because I went into a catatonic state. I felt like I would never be sane, that everything I held close would be taken from me, and that I didn't deserve normalcy. I wouldn't talk to anyone, so they put me in the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. And that's my story," Will seemed indifferent now that he had gotten that off his chest. 

You felt oddly relieved, "Thank you for telling me, Will. I needed to know. I just wish you had told me first."

"I know and from now on I will tell you everything. I just didn't know how you'd handle someone with my past. Women don't seem to like men that have been married before, not to mention widows. Also, as you now know I'm sexually inexperienced and I didn't know how to approach that with you if you decided you wanted to take that step with me," he looked embarrassed.

"Will, you know now that I'm just as inexperienced as you are and I respect how you feel about it. We don't have to do that. And know that I'm with you for you and not your past, but I accept your past anyway. I love you," those last three words caught you by surprise as they were leaving your lips without your permission. Your cheeks became red, which made Will smile.

"I love you too," his cheeks blushed as he smiled even wider at you.


	15. Petree Dish Backbone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have words for both Jack and Dr. Lecter.

"I don't understand why the two of you have it out for him! Sure, he's troubled, but so am I! Both of my parents are dead, Jack! Am I not just like him?! What makes me better than him?!" For the first time in your life, you were scolding Jack. If you hadn't known any better, you'd say he actually looked a little scared. 

"He's unstable! You're not! I don't need him rubbing off on you!" Jack countered.

"You can't catch an empathy disorder, Jack." You smiled, "That's right, I've read the files. He has an empathy disorder."

"Did you give her the files?" Jack turned to Dr. Lecter.

With a blank expression, he answers, "I did. I thought it would be beneficial if she knew the truth since they are pursuing a romantic relationship."

"I know everything. Will told me himself about his past and I even read it in the files. He told the truth, you didn't. You raised me, Jack. I thought that was an unspoken agreement to never lie to me. Have a good rest of the week, Jack." You picked up your bag and left Jack's office. 

He didn't call after you, so all three of you knew you were right. You marched yourself down to toxicology. The self proclaimed "Lab Ratz" were always fun to talk to. Beverly was pacing around an autopsy table. 

"Hey, Bev." You said quietly. 

"Hey, (your name)! Haven't seen you in a while. Everything ok? You look like you just lost a cage match."

"Oh, thanks," the two of you laugh. "Everything is fine. I just chewed Jack out."

"And you're still breathing?! Kudos to you! What exactly was it about?"

"He's been lying to me about Will. He told me all this stuff about his exes and keeps calling him unstable." You sigh.

"Oh, he is unstable, but aren't we all?" She smiles.

"Thank you! Someone gets it!"

"I don't think Jack knows how to love, so he judges everyone else for knowing how." 

"I wouldn't say that. I've never seen him go so soft like he does when he's around Aunt Bella," you chuckle at the thought of her taking the laundry basket downstairs and Jack rushes over to take it from her. Telling her to call him next time because it's too dangerous. And Aunt Bella yells at him, saying she's perfectly capable.

"Aunt Bella? Jack is your uncle?" Bev has a devious look on her face as if she just got some high class information.

"Not by blood. He was a very close family friend to me parents, so that's just what I called him."

"Ah, I see. Makes sense, you're a lot like him." 

"Well, he practically raised me, so..." you trailed off.

Will barges through the door, not seeing you sitting behind the door. "Katz, I need you to test the tissue samples from lot 32 for traces of gasoline." 

"You got it," she looks at you and back to Will. 

He turns around. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just blowing off some steam with Bev." You smile at him, which always makes him smile. 

"Care to blow off some steam with me?" He whispers as he kisses you on the cheek. 

"I'd love to," you blush. You reach out and he takes your hand.


	16. Precipitate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally seem like they're settling down and everyone is accepting that you and Will are trying to make a relationship, that is until...

"I talked to Jack this morning before you woke up," you whispered quietly as you kissed the stubble on Will's cheek.

"Oh yeah? How did that go?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"Pretty well. He knew exactly where I was," you giggled, "he seemed oddly ok with it."

"Should we be worried? Maybe he's finally found a way to break us up. You know suicidal people get really happy a day or so before they actually go through with it." He smiles sweetly.

"That's...dark, but no. I know Jack. I can tell when he's pretending that something isn't bothering him. He almost seemed glad that I was with you."

"He probably just realized it's better for you to be with me than for you to be in a big empty apartment alone. Come on, lets go get breakfast," he suggested.

"Sounds good," you agreed.

 

You watched Will point to an item on the menu hanging behind the counter. It felt like you finally understood all the sappy romance movies. You had the most handsome guy you've ever seen and he treats you well. He also understood and accepted the baggage you brought to the table. Will came over and joined you at the table. He had two bagels in his hand and set one down in front of you with an awkward smile.

"Aw, you shouldn't have! Thank you!" You said to him. You almost thought that he was blushing.

"Well you know what they say: breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Just then his phone went off. He checked it and his smile instantly disappeared. "They want me to come in. A body was found."

"What?! We both have the day off. We were going to spend it together," you sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Apparently even Dr. Lecter is there. It has to be serious." He shoveled the last of his bagel in his mouth, rose from the table, kissed you on the cheek and said, "I love you. I'll see you later tonight."

"Ok. I love you too."

 

You had spent so much time with Will since you have been together that it almost seemed wrong to do anything without him. Since he had to work, you decided to go shopping. Will had suggested it and he gave you a little money he had been saving up to treat you anyway. You know he felt horrible for having to work on the special day you two had planned. He had been dying to teach you how to fly-fish, and you were dying to know all about him and know the things he liked to do. Then, you were going to go out to a movie and then dinner. 

You saw a nice burgundy dress. You decided to buy it for when you and Will could actually go out to dinner. You bypassed Will's money in your bag and planned to give it back to him. The dress wasn't all that much anyway. Just as the clerk finished ringing you out, your phone began to vibrate in your pocket. At first you decided to ignore it. They might call Will in, but you were going to enjoy this one day off. However, when it finally stopped ringing, the person had decided to try again. This time, you decided to at least see who it was. It was Beverly. Ok, not that bad. At least it wasn't Jack.

"Hey Bev, what's up?" You greeted her as you got in your car.

"I think you need to come in," she sounded aloof.

"Oh no, no, no. I haven't gotten a day off in the last three weeks. I'm enjoying this one."

"No, seriously, (your name). I think you need to come in." Just then you could hear yelling in the background.

"Are you ok, Bev? What's all that noise?" You began to feel dread.

"I'm fine. It's Will..." she trailed off.

"What about him? Is he ok?" Your heart began to pound.

"I don't know, but you're the only one that he responds well to. Please come in."

"Ok, ok. I'm on my way."

 

You burst through the doors. Jack and Dr. Lecter were having a hushed conversation. "Where is he?" You demanded.

"Look, (your name). I don't think its a good idea for you to see him right now. He isn't himself," Dr. Lecter said.

"I don't care. Just tell me where he is."

"In there, " Jack pointed to a door. Dr. Lecter gave Jack a look. "What? You won't be able to persuade her to not see him!"

You opened the door and there he was. They had strapped him to the bed. The straps dug into his skin. You could tell he had resisted against them because his wrists were bright red and near the bleeding point. He was drenched in sweat and his eyes had a film over them. You slowly approached the bedside. When you reached out to touch him he tensed against the restraint and flung himself from side to side, trying to escape. You'd never seen him like this; you'd never seen anyone like this and it absolutely terrified you. "Stay the hell away from me!" He spat over and over. You jumped back against the wall and started breathing heavily. The anxiety you had been recovering from for weeks now was slowly starting to come back. He wasn't your Will and you weren't sure if he'd come back from this. You looked towards the door and saw Dr. Lecter standing there, stone-faced. You tried to hold in tears so that he wouldn't utter an 'I told you so' and you ran out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone that has supported this story! All the positive comments have inspired me to update!


	17. Faithless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Will have some serious thinking to do.

You bit your nails until the whites were practically gone. Will sat across from you, hands clasped and covering his mouth. He hadn't made eye contact with you since you two had gone out for breakfast. It felt like the two of you were back to square one. You were so hurt and confused that you wish he would ask you to just pretend the last day hadn't happened and to just go back to normal, but his own mind was against him and holding him prisoner. Here you were, across from someone you called your soulmate, and neither one of you could think of what to say. You knew what it was like to be the odd-man-out, so you weren't about to give up on him. You actually anticipated what would come next.

"You know I'm sorry," he said, still avoiding your eyes. Little did you know that you were the only one Will felt like could see through him just by a look.

"I know. You don't have to keep saying it, Will."

"You're the only one I've actually meant 'sorry' with; I feel like I have to keep saying it."

"Look, I believe you and oddly enough I accept the apology. I just want you to be ok and I want you to take care of yourself. Maybe you're overworked. I don't know what caused this, but maybe you should talk to Dr.Lecter about this. I'm not equipped with the psychological knowledge to help you, Will. You need professional help."

He looked at you and you saw his jaw clench, "You think I don't know that? Everyone around me tells me I'm a freak, or somewhere on the Asperger's spectrum, or possibly psychotic. I don't need you to add to it, (your name)."

"Will."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just scared," you said as you choked back tears.

He grabbed your hand, "So am I. However, I am not talking to Dr. Lecter."

"He's your psychiatrist. That's his job."

He lifted up his shirt. "You remember when I told you I got this scar from climbing a barbed wire fence as a child?" You looked at the long scar over his stomach and nodded. "I lied! It's actually Dr. Lecter's fault that I have it"

"What? How?!"

"I don't want to talk about it,"he scrunched his nose. He always did that when he was angry, but you found it very cute.

"We already made an agreement a long time ago that we wouldn't hide things from each other! You deliberately disobeyed my trust!" 

Will got up and walked over to your armchair, putting a hand on either arm of the chair, trapping you in it. His face was inches from yours. "There's a lot I have kept from you. It's not because I don't trust you or because I want to keep you at arm's length from me," he whispered, "It's because I don't want you to endure anything that I have gone through. I'd never forgive myself." He leaned in and placed a long kiss on your lips. When he pulled away, you grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him in for another kiss.

 

"Look, I don't know exactly what happened between you and Will. I'll eventually find out, but for right now I'm giving you and Will space. You two have to work on him. I can't help him, but I need you to. Please, Dr. Lecter?"

He stared at you, uncomfortably, for a few seconds. "No one will be able to help Will until he wants it. I'm sure you've heard that before."

"What makes you think he doesn't want help? He's a complete wreck." You were shocked at Dr. Lecter's statement.

"Will is accustomed to being unstable. That is where he's comfortable. Every time we have tried to make progress, old behaviors resurface. And you know what they say about old behaviors," he almost seemed to smile.

Now you stared at Dr. Lecter. You squinted at him. "How have you managed to pull the wool over Jack's eyes?"

"It's simple. Jack always looks ahead instead of what is right in front of him." This time, you're sure he smiled. "You're much more observant than those around you, (your name), I'll give you that. If I didn't know any better, I would say you share Will's empathy disorder."

"Lets focus on Will, not me. He's your patient," you were nervous, but you knew better than to show vulnerability.

"Have him come in for a session on Thursday at noon."

"Will do. Thank you, Dr. Lecter." You turned and left his office quickly so you could breathe again. You knew how to handle every criminal personality, but that didn't mean it didn't make you anxious in the back of your mind. 

You knew what you were up against now. He would have kept the wool over your eyes too if he hadn't slipped. "Will is accustomed to being unstable...Every time we have tried to make progress, old behaviors resurface." What dance had Dr. Lecter and Will been doing this entire time? You wondered if Will knew and if he was just letting it happen. Questions consumed your mind that you had to figure out.


	18. The Truth

You stood in the doorway, waiting for Will to notice you. You were livid and had no idea how to straighten out the thoughts in your head. Will had to be the one to start the conversation. 

"Hey! Where have you been?" He smiles innocently.

"I talked to Dr. Lecter." Will's smile faded as the sentence left your lips.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"You need to tell me everything. Now." You hadn't been stern with Will much, but it felt good.

"I think it would be easier if you asked and I told," he scratched his head nervously.

"I'm done with the mind games everyone had been playing. Explain everything now, Will, or I will leave," you felt tears coming to your eyes and thought you saw some welling up in his.

"Please sit down for this," he motioned for you to sit on the couch. "I was just a professor at the FBI Academy, just like when you met me. Everyone thought I was a little off, but there were a select few that saw that I had a gift that was crucial to catching criminals. Jack was one of them, so he had me brought in on the Chesapeake Ripper case against the advice of Dr. Alana Bloom. Dr.Lecter told Jack it would be fine, but it was the worst decision he ever made. This is when I was called to the active crime scene. I watched a man slit his wife's throat and he was about to do the same to his daughter, Abigail, but I shot him before I got the chance. It felt so good to do that." Will was fighting back the tears. " I admitted this to Dr.Lecter and he convinced me I was a psychopath."

"It doesn't make you a psychopath just because it felt good to kill an actual psychopath. You took out the trash, Will."

"I know that now, but Dr.Lecter had broken me down to the highest mental vulnerability level. He was able to convince me I was someone I wasn't because I didn't know who I was at the time. Anyway, I felt guilty for killing Garret Jacob Hobbes and I felt responsible for his newly orphaned daughter. I tried to look after her, make sure she was educated, and that she grew up as best as she deserved. She was a very kind and intelligent girl; you would've loved her." Will averted his eyes," Dr.Lecter killed her when I got too attached to her. It was another attempt to manipulate me. This was the final straw for me, so I threatened to tell Jack everything he had revealed to me, which I will explain in a bit. Dr.Lecter didn't respond well to this. He stabbed me with a linoleum knife. He told me to tell the doctor and nurses at the hospital that I had done it to my self, which caused me a stay at the mental hospital. When I got out, I distanced myself from him. That's when everything with Molly happened. When he found out about her, Dr.Lecter had her and her son killed. I was brought back out of retirement by Jack and thrown into another case that I couldn't mentally handle; I allowed this to happen because I didn't feel like there was anything else to do after Molly. Then everything with Margot happened. Since then, I've tried to just stay quiet and keep my sanity."

"So what happened the other day?" You squinted at him, watching him for any signs that he might be lying. You never saw any.

"We were working on a case and he came up to me and whispered that if I got too close to you, he would take you away." He started to cry softly, trying to hide it. You just sat silently, processing what he just said to you.

"I will do what I can to make sure that never happens. Now tell me what he confessed to you."

"He called Hobbes to warn him we were coming. Later, he told me he was the one that killed Molly, Abigail, and a reporter, Frederica Lowndes," Will started sobbing harder.

"Will, what has you so upset?"

"He ate them too," he mumbled between sobs.

"What?" You didn't want to believe you heard him correctly.

"He killed, cooked, and ate them," Will was shaking.

"Hannibal is a cannibal?"


	19. Indict

"Yes," Jack sighed, "I know."

"Wait a minute," you took a deep breathe in and out. You felt your blood boiling. "I'm starting to think that everyone knows about Hannibal but me."

"That's probably a safe assumption," Jack said.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into," you said to yourself as you sank into a chair in Jack's office. "Why is he not in prison or a mental institution?"

"We simply don't have enough evidence to convict."

"What do you mean you 'don't have enough evidence to convict'? Will has a huge scar on his abdomen, you have a scar on your abdomen, at least four women are dead because of him that are missing organs, and he serves up some different organ every week! There's not many places that he hasn't left evidence!" You lost your temper.

"Lower your voice! I will not have you speak to me that way. You think my team and I haven't thought of all of that? You think Will hasn't thought of that? Every one of us has been victimized by Hannibal in one way or another. To the FBI, these all look like mere coincidences. There is no DNA or eye witness reports to bring him in."

"You and Will were stabbed by him. What do you mean there aren't any eye witnesses? You're not making any sense." You thought you were beginning to feel insane. Reality was slowly slipping away with every new piece of knowledge. 

"None of us want to be the reason he's brought in. You don't know what he's capable of even behind bars," Jack looked deeply into your eyes. You knew the look on his face was telling you to leave it alone, but you couldn't let Hannibal get away with it. He hurt Will, not to mention Jack, and that is something you could never forgive. 

"If none of you want to help, fine. But I'm going to make sure Hannibal Lecter is locked away." You picked up your things and stormed out of Jack's office. It felt like you were becoming a natural at that. 

-

You unlocked the front door to Will's house, which was now your house too. He was sitting in the open living room, reading a book. All the dogs were laying around him. He heard you and looked up.

"Hey, beautiful. You were out early this morning. Where were you?" He got up to greet you and kissed you on the cheek.

"I talked to Jack this morning."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I want to catch Hannibal."

Will's face went pale. "I don't think that's a good idea, (your name). I don't want him to hurt you."

"He won't. I'll get him before he even knows it."

"Knowing Hannibal, he already knows you're after him." Will took his glasses off and nervously cleaned them on his flannel shirt. 

"I wanted to ask you if you would help me, Will."

"I don't know how I'd be of any help. Everyone knows I'm not mentally equipped to handle things of this nature. I don't want to get involved with him again."

"Will, please. I can make sure we're safe for the rest of our lives. All you have to do is write an anonymous eye witness account." 

"That's all?"

"Yes," you smiled, "Well, unless something else pops up."

Will rolled his eyes, jokingly, and laughed. "Alright, but you promise it will stay anonymous?" He found a pen and paper in the desk in the living room and started to write.

"Yes, I promise." You hugged him from behind. 

-

You woke up and rolled over. The clock read: 3:38 am. This was usual for you to wake up in the early morning. However, you could usually fall back asleep. You looked over at Will, sleeping peacefully beside you. He didn't seem to have nightmares or cold sweats anymore. Maybe it made him feel better to know you were safe next to him now before he falls asleep. 

It was official that you weren't going to go to sleep, so you got up from the bed and wandered into the living room. Will's testimony was sitting on the kitchen table. You grabbed it, pulled a manilla folder out from the desk, and placed the paper inside the folder. You labeled it "Evidence". Tomorrow, you decided to call Jack and ask him to do the same you had asked if Will.

You heard a creak of the floorboards behind you and quickly turned your head. Will was standing sheepishly in the doorway, in a white t-shirt and boxers. He rubbed his eye.

"Sorry if I scared you. I was wondering where you went."

"I couldn't sleep. I was just getting the file together. Let's go back to bed, sweetie."

"You don't have to tell me twice," he turned and went back into the bedroom. You followed him and laid beside him.

He rolled over and put an arm over you and kissed you. You grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled him in for another kiss, this time longer. When he pulled away, he was smiling. This made you smile.


	20. Victims

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get Jack to also write his account. Jack also recommends someone who can help.

You strutted into the FBI Academy prouder than ever before. All those years of hard work at the academy have paid off and you felt like all your training was finally being useful. You marched down the hall all the way to Jack's office and knocked on the door. He called out, "It's open!" You pushed the door open and Jack saw you standing there. He became more relaxed and smiled to see you with such a happy look. "What can I do for you today?"

"I have a giant favor to ask you, but I need you to understand how much this would mean to me. I need you to write a testimony of what Hannibal did to you." The few seconds that Jack was quiet felt like years. 

"I will do it, but you better get him locked up in a maximum security facility." He sighed.

"Thank you, Jack! You don't know how relieved I am that you'll help me. You can leave it anonymous if you want; It's probably best for Aunt Bella's sake too." With that, you turn to leave. However, Jack stops you.

"(Your name)! Wait a second," he says as he digs through desk drawer. He pulls out a small wooden box and a key from another drawer. He unlocks the box with the key and removes a single business card from it. "Here," he hands you the card. "You'll want to speak to her. She can help you out more than anyone here."

"Thank you again, Jack." You turn and leave while looking at the business card. It was for Alana Bloom. She's the head of the Baltimore Hospital for the Criminally Insane. You checked your watch; It was only 10 am. You decided that you would expedite the evidence gathering and you would make the drive to see Dr.Bloom.

-

You told the receptionist at the front desk that you were here to see Dr. Alana Bloom. She gave you a visitor's id and asked you to sign in on a clipboard and sign out when you leave. While you signed your name on the log, the receptionist made a phone call. "You can go on in. She's down this hall and the very last door on the left." You thanked the receptionist and took her directions.

You knocked on the door and it almost instantly opened. A beautiful woman with short, wavy black hair stood before you. She stepped back and gestured for you to come in with a smile. She wore a revealing blouse and well-fitted pant suit. She was stunning, but looked like she meant business. "Hello," she offered you a hand, "I'm Dr. Alana Bloom."

You shook her hand. "Hi, I'm (your name). I worked with Jack at the academy. He told me you could help me with something."

"Oh yes! I remember Jack talking about you. He was very good friends with your family. I'm going to go ahead and assume this has something to do with Hannibal Lecter if Jack is sending someone to me for help." She sat on the edge of her desk.

"That would be a correct assumption," you both giggled, "I'm gathering evidence against him. In fact, once I turn it in I would consider having him locked up here."

She went to a bookshelf and pulled a binder down and handed it to you. "Everything you need is in there for a case against him. I've gathered crime scene photos, some news reports, and there are some additional notes." Just then a woman walked in the office. She had the same kind of hair as Dr. Bloom, but this woman's was longer and she was carrying a baby.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were with someone," the woman with the baby said.

"It's alright, darling. You might actually be able to help (your name), here, too." Dr.Bloom smiles.

The woman hands Dr. Bloom a bag, "I brought you some lunch."

"Thank you. Honey, this is (your name). (Your name), this is my wife, Margot." Dr. Bloom introduced the two of you. Your eyes got wide at the mention of her wife's name.

Margot looked at Alana, "You told her my real name, Alana!" She looked nervous.

"It's ok. We can trust her. She's putting a case together against Hannibal Lecter. Jack sent her here to get the evidence I gathered." She turns to you, "Now tell me, if you worked with Jack at the academy, you must've worked with Will Graham. Have you met him?" Dr. Bloom asks.

You weren't sure what to say. You were in the presence of one of his exes, one that you thought was dead. You decided that honesty was the best route, especially since Dr. Bloom had been incredibly kind and helpful. "Yes, actually, we're together." Both of them looked surprised at your answer.

"Really?" Dr.Bloom said. "He's quite a character, isn't he?"

"Yes, and I guess I'll address the elephant in the room: He's still unstable, but capable of maintaining a relationship. And Margot, I know you were with him." You blurted out.

"I have to say that I'm impressed. Will must really like you if he was honest with you." Alana smiled slyly.

"Will and I both thought you were dead, Margot."

"I went into the Witness Protection Program. Alana and I have a family now. I wanted to protect us from Will, Hannibal, and my brother. Oh, and please don't tell Will, or anyone, that I'm alive. I just wanted a new start." She said as she rocked the baby.

"Don' worry, I won't say anything. However, it kind of defeats the purpose to be in the WPP when your wife is the head of the most recognized institution in the state." You added.

"Well, it has worked for us so far. Just let me know if there is anyway I can help with your case. Hannibal is the common enemy for all of us," said Margot.

"Thank you both. If you could write a testimony, or even testify as a witness, I'd appreciate that." You smiled gratefully at them.

"I'll write a testimony," Margot offered.

"And I will be a witness for you," Alana said.

"You're the first person to not stay anonymous," you told her.

"I'll just say I want Hannibal to know who helped put him away and leave it at that," Dr. Bloom said deviously.


	21. Time Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You decide to slow down and spend some much needed time with Will.

The car lunges forward before it completely stops and you withdraw the key from the ignition. Coming home was always the favorite part of your day. You grabbed your leather messenger bag and, locked up your car, and walked toward the little solitary house that you and Will shared. As soon as you pushed the door open, a sea of dogs overwhelmed you. You knelt down to give each one a kiss and a pet. Then, Will appeared like clockwork in the doorway that led back to your bedroom. You could tell he had been napping by how exceptionally disheveled his hair looked. You dropped your bag by the door and approached him, putting a hand through the curly, light brown hair you loved so much. He kissed you and you both smiled. "Welcome home, gorgeous," he sleepily whispered. Just then you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. Will walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on the oven for tea. You dug your phone out and saw it was from Jack: "Take the next week off. The first few days are a break and the last half is for culminating all the evidence."

"Oh my god!" You exclaimed out loud.

"What?" Will inquired, "Are you ok?"

"Yes! Jack just gave me a week off!"

"Huh? That never happens," he says.

"We talked about me possibly getting a little extra time off because of how much work I've been doing. The end of the week will be used for getting the rest of the testimonies together."

"Oh, well maybe I should take some time off and we should do something nice," he says as he puts a cup in front of you and sits next to you.

"Really?! Will, we've never really taken a vacation together!"

"Maybe its time," he says as he sips his tea.

"Where would we go?" You ask with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy shop.

"We'll have to do some research and see whats around," Will replies. With that, you immediately pull your phone out and begin searching. A search resulted in mostly museums. 

"What about hiking at the National Park and looking at some of the museums around. There are a bunch!" You suggested to him.

"Sure, that sounds nice. Maybe we can get a hotel in the city and stay somewhere else for a few nights." 

"Yeah, and we can eat dinner somewhere! We haven't done that since our first date!" You say jokingly.

"Oh please!" Will playfully rolled his eyes, "Would you mind telling me where we had dinner last Thursday?"

"I know, I know," you laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! Again, thank you for all the support on this story! I'm sorry about the time in between updates, but I felt like I hit a bit of a brick wall. I know the story is a little all over the place and I really want to fix that, so just bear with me. I'll probably be putting a little more planning into this story, hopefully! Again, thank you guys for the support!


	22. The Beach

Will's face was dripping sweat as he loaded luggage into the back of his car. It made you smile. It felt like the two of you were a normal couple. The dogs nervously ran inside and outside with Will. You called them and offered them chips that you were snacking on. They loved and revered both you and Will, and almost no one else. Every time you and Will both left, it made the dogs extremely anxious. You tried convincing Will to allow one of them to come along at least, but he rejected the idea. He said if you took one the rest would get jealous. You had no problem taking all of them!

"I should probably call Bev now," you say.

"Good idea! Did you really have to bring this much stuff though?" Will asks as he loads another one of your bags into the back.

You ignore that question and dialed Beverly's number on your cellphone. It only rang once or twice, "Hey! Where are you?!" She said excitedly.

"Will and I are going on a little vacation for a couple of days. I was wondering if you could just stop by a few times to check on the dogs?"

"Of course! Any chance to hang out with dogs, I'm there!" She agrees.

"Thank you so much, Bev! You're a life saver, and I owe you!" You say.

"Sure thing! Alright, I gotta go inspect this guy they found in the Chesapeake Bay. Bye!"

"Bye, Bev!"

You and Will go inside and take one last sweep around the house to see if there was anything else you wanted to take. Will gave you a funny look, which you knew was him mentally asking you not to take anything else. He had filled only one suitcase and a train case to go on vacation. You filled a large suitcase with clothes, a smaller one with shoes, a train case with your shower toiletries, a small bag filled with makeup, a separate bag for jewelry, and separate cases for all your technology. You realized how ridiculous this was, but your mother taught you that it keeps everything more organized, clean, and not broken. Your mother once but all her toiletries and jewelry in one case, and she ended up with broken jewelry and ruined makeup. Better safe than sorry, you had told Will. He gave each dog a pet and a lecture about how the both of you would be gone for a while, but Beverly would be coming by to make sure they're ok. Then, Will went outside and you followed. He locked the door to the house and you both got in the car. 

You two had decided to go to the nearest beach, which was about four hours from your house. Will drove well, but after a while you noticed he had been driving for the last two hours with a harsh grip on the steering wheel. His knuckles were white and his jaw was clenched. You wondered if he might have an episode while on vacation, but you didn't want to be the first one to bring it up. Besides his episodes, you've never really seen him this tense. You just gave him a look every now an again. What were you supposed to say?

"I'm ok," Will said as if he could read your thoughts.

"You're not convincing me, Will," you replied.

He sighed, "I'm just concerned, that's all."

"About?"

"What am I not concerned about is a better question. I'm concerned for the dogs, I'm concerned for the house, I'm concerned Hannibal will figure out where we are and your plans, but mostly I'm concerned about having an episode when I'm finally able to relax," he admits.

"We'll cross that road when we get to it," you try your best to comfort him. However, you were nervous about this yourself. You've never had to bring him back down in an unfamiliar environment. You didn't even know how he would react in a new place.

"I guess, but I just don't want to put the stress of that on you. When I get like that, I kind of leave you to the wolves." He nervously looks in the rear view mirror even though no one had been behind him the last half hour.

"Well, just try to relax and not overthink things too much. I know that's easier said than done, but it'll be good for you. When was the last time you didn't have to work anyway? This is a really good thing, Will. Let's enjoy it before we have to go back."

"I know," he says and smiles at you. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel, and even took one hand off to hold your hand. He looked extremely handsome with his curly hair blowing in the wind and when he smiled. You wish he did that more often.


End file.
